Trend price : 1500-200€
A special analog-digital hybrid version of the Prophet 5 with vector joystick, spiritual father of the most successful KORG WAVESTATION series.
Company: Sequential Circuits
Model: Prophet VS
Class: Synthesizer
Keyboard: 61 keys
Weight: 16,5 kg
Dimensions: n/a
Display: 16 x 2 lines
Dates: 1986
Synthesis: hybrid
Oscillator: 4 DCOs
N.waves: 96 PCM
Polyphony: 8 voices
Filter: analog lowpass
LFO: 2 modulators
Arpeggiator: yes
Sync: Midi
Effect: analog chorus
Memory: 64 slots
Midi: IN / OUT / THRU
CPU: MC68000
VCF IC: CEM 3379 / 3389
OS: latest V1.2
Demo: 1
Video: 1
Review: 1
DOWNLOAD: user manual - service manual
Overview
KEYBOARD 61 velocity keys with rudimentary aftertouch.
Main panel features a 16 x 2 lines display, 58 push buttons, 2 knobs and a slider for value entries. On the left side there are 2 wheels for pitch bending / modulation plus a vector joystick.
Back panel terminal connectors:
-
stereo signal out
-
Midi interface
-
sustain pedalswitch input
- pedalswitch input assignable to
arpeggiator latch or transpose
Voice
8 voices polyphony. A single voice is composed by 4 detunable digital oscillators named: A-B-C-D.
Each oscillator digitally reads a short-cycled waveforms, but unlike PGG or Waldorf Microwave synthesis, the VS cannot achieve a well-structured wavetable scan process.
Wavetable
ROM contains 96 PCM (128 samples long) mainly composed by basic waveforms such as square, sinewave and acoustic instrument spectral short harmonics.
There are also 32 user-definable RAM waveshapes that can be loaded externally..
Performance
- split plays 4 keys on either side (user defined split point)
-
double plays only 4 keys, but each key simultaneously uses 2 programs
-
unison stacks 8 voice for fat solo with variable glide portamento
- aftertouch is assignable to filter cutoff or pitch modulation
Filter
lowpass resonant analog VCF based on 8 CEM 3379 or 3389 digitally controlled quantised in 99 digital scaled values.
LFO
2 modulators (triangle, square, saw up-down and random) and 6 destinations: pitch, filter, voice mix, modulation rate, amplitude and panning
Envelope
3 analog EG groups: EG VCF + EG VCA + EG voice MIX.
- EG VCF and EG
VCA are the same each featuring 5 stages + 5 levels and 6 segments loopmodes.
- EG Mix is simpler: just 4 rates + 6 loop modes.
Vector
joystick defines the oscillators mix moving it toward one of the ABCD oscillator which is pretty nice for some texture patterns.
The traced motion can be also recorded and replayed back.
Arpeggiator
2 to 4 octaves range and various traditional playmodes syncable to external Midi clock
Effect
stereo analog chorus based on BBD MN3209 with variable rate and depth parameters
Memory
-
100 RAM patches
- 32 RAM PCM
MAINTENANCE the most common failure comes from the voices allocation managed by one of the chip IC CEM 5530 multiplexer sample and hold, easy to break and it is NO more available on the market - now really quite hard to find out anywhere.
Review
OK: textures / filter / midi
NOT : reliability / no wavescan / keyboard quality
"If you're into '80 digital-hybrid pad, then this is the machine for you! I love the possible textures from this vintage classic! however VS is quite fragile and extreme care is needed for maintenance"
Text , review, special demos copyright polynominal.com / Eric Pochesci
